GM Accused of 'Made in USA' Violations

General Motors, which was recently bailed out by U.S. taxpayers and is still owned in part by the federal government, has been accused by the the Made in the USA Foundation of stripping "country of origin" labels off of its cars, at auto shows around the country.

The Made in the USA Foundation has charged GM with violating the American Automobile Labeling Act (AALA), which requires all new cars that are offered for sale to include country of origin information. The AALA requires new cars to provide information on the window sticker, including where the car was assembled, where the engine was made and where the transmission was assembled.

Joel D. Joseph, chairman of the Made in the USA Foundation, said, "General Motors wants to hide the fact that, even after the government bailout, it has moved production of vehicles offshore. The Cadillac SRX is now made in Mexico. The Buick Regal is made in Germany."

GM claims that the AALA only applies to cars for sale at car dealerships, not at auto shows. Joseph stated that he worked with Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md), who wrote the law, and that the intent of the law was to inform consumers about the country of origin of new cars.

"Millions of consumers get their first look at cars at auto shows," said Joseph. "The law applies to cars that are 'for sale' and auto show cars, except concept cars. Identical GM cars are for sale at thousands of dealers across the nation, and display vehicles should include country of origin information. The U.S. government saved GM and still owns one-third of the company. General Motors should comply with the intent of the law."